DIY Network Blog: Made + Remade

Apple Rose Tart

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This dessert is as tasty as it is beautiful. The finished product is well worth the extra time it takes to roll the apple slices. Whether you're making it as a special Valentine's Day treat for your sweetie or for an elegant dinner party finale, your recipients will surely be impressed.

The instructions:

Apple Rose Tart

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Add the flour mixture to a food processor and add cold cubes of butter. Blitz until butter has a consistency of small peas. Whisk yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water together in a small bowl until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the food processor and blitz to a coarse sand consistency. The mixture should stick together when pinched between fingers, but not be moist. Add a bit more water if necessary.

Place the dough on a flat surface and form a ball. Using your thumbs, press the dough against to counter in pieces to distribute the butter a bit more. Gather the dough together and press into a flattened disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Roll the dough to 1/8" to 1/4" thick on a lightly floured surface wide enough to fit a 9” or 10” tart pan. Drape the crust over the rolling pin and transfer it to the tart pan. Press the crust into the pan, making sure to press it into the corner at the bottom. Press the crust into the scalloped edge gently. Remove any excess with a sharp knife. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Blind bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until the top edge is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Make the custard by placing the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the milk to a simmer, stirring occasionally. While the milk cooks, whisk together the egg yolks, caramel sauce, cornstarch and salt.

When the milk is hot add a small amount to the egg yolk mixture while briskly whisking to avoid cooking the eggs. Slowly pour the egg mixture in the saucepan with the milk while briskly whisking. Return the pan to the heat and continue whisking until the custard thickens. Remove from the heat and press through a mesh strainer to remove any egg solids that may have formed.

Cover the custard with plastic wrap, press the wrap directly to the surface of the custard and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Spread the custard in the cooled tart crust and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Prepare the apples by adding the juice of one lemon to a bowl of cold water. Core the apples and slice them horizontally into very thin slices with a sharp knife or mandolin. Immediately place slices in the lemon water to prevent browning. After all of the apple slices are cut begin by rolling one slice very tightly. If the slice is still in a ring, make a cut from the center hole to the skin. Add slice after slice, rolling around the previous slice to create a ‘rose’. Make some roses smaller and some bigger. Place the roses randomly in the custard. Fill in any gaps with small roses to fill the entire surface.

Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the apples have softened and some of the edges just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.